Assistant ref breaks silence over Robertson elbow and prepared for FA decision
Assistant referee Constantine Hatzidakis says he is prepared for any action the FA may take over his incident with Liverpool 's Andrew Robertson.
The 38-year-old was involved in a contentious exchange with the Reds' defender during half-time of Sunday's clash with Arsenal at Anfield. He was accused of elbowing the Scotsman with the clash being caught on Sky Sports cameras as the players headed to the tunnel for the interval.
Speaking outside of his home to Mail Online in response to the incident, he said: "Whatever happens, happens. There is nothing more I can say at the moment. I can't talk about what happened."
The PGMOL have already confirmed that Hatzidakis will not be appointed to any further matches this season until an FA investigation comes to a close. A statement on Monday said: “PGMOL will not be appointing Constantine Hatzidakis to fixtures in any of the competition it serves whilst The FA investigates the incident involving the assistant referee and Liverpool defender Andrew Robertson at Anfield.”
Hatzidakis was at the heart of the contentious incident during the half-time break of the Reds' 2-2 draw with table-topping Arsenal. The official was approached by the left-back - who appeared to be furious with a series of his decisions at Anfield.
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Robertson then accused the official of striking him in the throat with an alleged elbow. The Liverpool man was subsequently yellow carded by referee Paul Tierney for his role in the incident and was left stunned by the events that had taken place.
Robertson was furious with the incident (PA)Should Constantine Hatzidakis be banned? Share your thoughts in the comments below
It is the second incident involving officials and players over recent weeks after Aleksandar Mitrovic was banned for eight games after shoving referee Chris Kavanagh during Fulham's FA Cup defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford.
Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg has suggested that Hatzidakis could face similar punishment. "Players can push us officials to the limit," he wrote in the Daily Mail.
"They can provoke to the point where you are probably tempted to give them something in return. But under no circumstances can we can respond. Certainly not physically.
"Hatzidakis did and there will now be a clamour for him to be banned, given Fulham's Aleksandar Mitrovic is set to miss eight matches for pushing referee Chris Kavanagh last month."
Meanwhile, Sky Sports pundit Roy Keane gave a scathing verdict of Robertson's involvement. "Robertson, do you know what, does he grab the linesman first? I'm not sure, but he's complaining," Keane said. "He should be more worried about his defending.
"Do you know what it is, that Robertson? I've watched him a number of times. He's a big baby. That's what he is. Just get on with the game and concentrate on your defending. He does grab the linesman first."
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